Dunedin South MP Clare Curran will introduce her first Bill into the parliamentary ballot next week, with the intention of helping New Zealand industries gain a larger slice of lucrative government contracts.
As part of the Kiwi Jobs Bill, a commission of inquiry would be established to compare New Zealand procurement policies with overseas examples, and whether the Government should introduce a policy favouring local tenders, Ms Curran said.
This year's Budget included more then $2 billion in major public investment initiatives, many of which could have been carried out locally, she said.
Countries such as the United States and Australia had preference clauses for local tenders, and if a similar policy was adopted in this country, it could help stem the flow of contracts being awarded overseas.
Ms Curran said the Dunedin Hillside workshop would benefit from such a move, but it was highly unlikely KiwiRail's tender document to build electric trains and cars for Auckland would include a preference clause favouring local content.
"The work should be done in New Zealand."
Her Bill had the support of unions and industry bodies, and the Government was confident the public would support the move, she said.
The Kiwi Jobs Bill was likely to mirror future Labour policy, and she had support from the Labour caucus.
